Clothes hanger having finger hooks

ABSTRACT

In principle, disclosed is a clothes hanger apparatus, comprising some form of a formed supporting body member adapted for conforming to the approximate shape of a piece of clothing capable of being worn by a person, including a right and a left shoulder support convening at a yoke, including an upwardly extending closet rod hook depending upwardly from a neck on the yoke such that the hanger can be suspended from a horizontal closet rod; and a separate finger hook support distal from the closet rod hook extending outwardly from the body member, thereby creating a passageway for fingers of an operator to engage the clothes hanger without pinching fingers when picking up the hanger. In addition, like any conventional clothes hanger, a horizontal bar may optionally extend horizontally between the two shoulder supports.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a clothing hanger, and more particularlyrelates to a clothing hanger with finger hook modifications in the neckof the hanger.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There has been a long standing problem for people trying to carry anumber of clothes hangers all at once, in that their fingers get pinchedwhen trying to lift clothes hangers, especially when lifting manyclothes hangers at the same time.

Therefore, there has been a long felt need for a more comfortable andmore efficient clothes hanger. For the first time since plastic clotheshangers were introduced to the market, the only development has been theJoy Mangano® Huggie Hanger, available from Ingenious Designs, LLC, inEdgewood, N.Y. However, this hanger merely stops clothes from slippingoff the hanger due to a friction-creating coating over the hanger, aswell as having a hanger that is half the width of a conventional plasticclothes hanger. There is nothing that will add to the comfort of theuser, nor is there anything that will alleviate pinching.

The industry could benefit from any innovations relating to comfort andutility, and the present invention will provide such a benefit, as thisdesign alleviates pinching of fingers when carrying the clothes hangerswith garments thereon, as well as providing a more attainable load ofclothes on the hangers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, disclosed is a new type ofclothes hanger with separate finger hooks extending outwardly,preferably from the neck of the clothes hanger, or any other part of theclothes hanger that is suitable for picking up. The present inventiondiscloses such a hanger. My invention is equally adaptable to any sortof clothes hanger, including wire hangers, plastic injection moldedhangers, wooden hangers, skirt hangers, pants hangers, or any other typeof hanger. As long as there is a neck connecting the hanger to a hook tobe received over a closet rod or any other support member for theclothes on the hanger, my invention finds utility and application.

Essentially, since fingers become pinched when lifting more than oneclothes hanger with garments hanging thereon, my invention relocates thelifting portion of the hanger off to the side, where a finger gripportion can be utilized without pinching one's fingers. The location ofthe finger grip portion may be anywhere on the upper portion of thehanger, but is most preferably in the neck of the clothes hanger forbetter balance. However, it should be noted that anywhere on the clotheshanger above the center of gravity will perform equally well.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front plan review of a clothes hanger made in accordancewith the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of a second aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an environmental view showing a prior art hanger as well asthe use of a hanger made in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front plan view of yet another aspect of the presentinvention including a piece of padding;

FIG. 5 is a front plan view of another aspect of the present inventionincluding a secondary government hook;

FIG. 6 is a front plan view of another aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a front plan view of a plastic hanger incorporating the newinvention;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of another plastic hanger in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 9 is a front plan view of another aspect;

FIG. 10 is a front plan view with safe finger hold on top of the hanger;

FIG. 11 is a front plan view illustrating the finger hold off to theside of the neck of the hanger;

FIG. 12 is a front plan view of yet another aspect of the presentinvention showing where the finger hold may occur;

FIG. 13 is a front plan view of a wire hanger showing the neck of thehanger doubled back on itself to form a finger hooked;

FIG. 14 is a front plan view of the bottom portion of a clothes hangerwith sloping shoulders;

FIG. 15 is a front plan view of the bottom portion of a clothes hangerwith a trouser bar extending between the two ends of the close hanger;

FIG. 16 is a front plan view of the bottom portion of a clothes hanger;

FIG. 17 is a front plan view of a bedspread hanger;

FIG. 18 is a front plan view of a trouser hanger;

FIG. 19 is a front plan view of a plastic clothes hanger, commonly usedin retail stores; and

FIG. 20 is a front plan view of a trouser or skirt hanger, commonly usedin retail stores.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Looking first to FIG. 1, there is shown a first novel and non-obviousnew aspect of the present invention, wherein the new type of clotheshanger is generally denoted by the numeral 10, and includes a shouldersupport portion 12 rising up and over to a distal hook 14 permanentlyattached to an integral neck 18. In this aspect of the invention, neck18 includes an extended finger grip portion 16 radiating outwardly fromneck 18, such that someone that is carrying one or more of the clotheshangers to carry the multitude of garments can do so without pinchingtheir fingers between the various hooks 14 in the bunch. Finger gripportion 16 may be an enclosed loop type of grip as shown in FIG. 1, orit may be an open grip as described more fully hereinbelow withreference to further FIG's. In this aspect, when the wire hook portionof this wire hanger is being bent into shape, a first twisted neckportion 17 is being twisted around itself for sturdiness. To form theloop, as the neck wire is twisted up, a span of wire remains untwisted18, wherein the closed finger grip portion 16 is formed. After the spanhas been traversed, neck 18's wire can be twisted around the wire againinto second twisted neck portion 19. But this time, it is twisted abovethe finger grip portion, in order to secure the ends of the wire. Upwardof the second twisted portion 19, distal hook 14 first extends upwardand then extends downward in order to form a conventional hook forsliding onto a closet rod.

FIG. 2 illustrates another aspect of the present invention that includesan open finger grip portion, as mentioned above. In this aspect, theneck of the clothes hanger may be attached to any type of hanger,whether metal, wood or plastic. Clothes hanger 10 again includes agarment supporting shoulder portion, and is suspended from a metal wireneck and hook, but with an inclusion of a special bended portion thatforms the novel finger grip portion in accordance with the presentinvention. The wire hook 14 shall be made of a material that issufficiently strong to not only support a garment hanging therefrom, butmust also be strong enough not to be deformed when a relatively heavygarment is place thereon. A suitable strength and diameter of wire canbe determined without undue experimentation, also my invention worksbest when the wire is from about 1/16″ to about ⅛″ in diameter ofstainless steel, aluminum, or metal alloy. They may also be coated withpaint or with a thin layer of plastic. If the neck is formed fromplastic, a 60 to 90 durometer plastic is preferred. Regardless of thematerial or the diameter of the neck, the determining factor forsuitability in usage within my invention is that the hanger must supportfrom 0 to 50 lbs. of weight substantially equally distributed over theshoulder support portions 12 of the clothes hanger 10.

Looking next to the environmental view of FIG. 3, the garment andclothes hanger in the forefront are prior art articles, while the newfinger grip style clothes hanger in the back is made in accordance withthe present invention. Garment 20 is hanging on clothes hanger 10, andis also being supported on closet rod 22 by hook 14. Finger grip portion16 extends radially from neck 18. One can see from FIG. 3 that thefingers of the person are not pinched between the clothes hanger and thecloset rod, as they are in the prior art device illustration in theforefront of the FIG.

As anyone working in a retail clothing store can testify, whenre-stocking the floor, multiple clothes hangers become veryuncomfortable to transport by hand, because your fingers always getpinched. As one can imagine, FIG. 3 merely illustrates only one way thatfingers become pinched. With regards to other injuries from trying tocarry too many hanging garments, it is not only common, but probable,for someone picking up their dry cleaning, where each garment is hung ona separate hanger. Picking up all the hangers and trying to hang thoseclothes on the little hook provided in a car or truck means that yourfingers will generally get pinched. My novel finger grip portion willalleviate said pinching, as your fingers will not come into contact withthe hook, and the hooking procedure can still be effected withouthindrance.

FIG. 4 shows yet another aspect of the present clothes hanger inventionas generally denoted by the numeral 30, still including a shouldersupport portion 32. As before, a neck portion 40 extends upwardly, andintermediate between the neck 40 and the hook 34, a finger grip portion36 is formed into the neck. Finger grip portion 36 further includes anenhanced comfort pad 38 incorporated into the top of the finger gripportion 36. Thus, when picking up a number of hangers, numerous hangerscan be lifted without discomfort. The comfort pad 38 will be locatedsuch that, when lifting, your fingers will be cushioned. This aspectwill work equally well for the closed loop aspect of FIG. 1 as it doesfor the open loop finger grip portion 36 of this aspect.

FIG. 5 illustrates another aspect of the present invention, wherein thefinger grip portion common throughout all the aspects herein is not alooped aspect, but rather is a supported lift aspect. Clothes hanger 50includes shoulder support portions 52, with a spreader bar 54 supportingand attached to the distal ends 53 of shoulder support portions 52.Spreader bar 54 may be used to support pants, skirts, or anything elsethat one would want to hang together with the garment. As in my otheraspects, a neck portion 58 rises vertically from the top of shouldersupports 52 and includes an upwardly extending finger grip hook 60radiating radially from neck 58. Said finger grip hook 60 issubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of shoulder supports 52.In this aspect, finger grip hook 60 may also be used for hanging belts,scarves, and the like once the garment has been hung on the support ofchoice, usually a closet rod. This finger grip hook 60 shall be made ofany suitable material that is sufficient to allow one to lift themaximum weight garment on the clothes hanger 50.

Looking next to FIG. 6, this aspect is essentially the same as FIG. 5,except that the clothes hanger 50 has a finger grip portion 62 is nowwhich is pointed down out of neck 58 to make it simpler to collect withone's fingers. The strength of all of these materials needs to be greatenough such that clothing could be transported in large numbers andcarried on the hand of the person moving the clothing.

FIG. 7 illustrates yet another aspect of the present invention wherein aplastic molded hanger 70 includes a shoulder support 72 and a distalhook 74 to be received over a closet rod or other support. In thisaspect, a finger hook portion 76 is integrally formed in neck 78, actingas a finger grip portion that can be utilized by the person moving theclothing so that their fingers will not get pinched.

FIG. 8 illustrates yet another aspect of the present invention wherein aplastic molded clothes hanger is generally denoted by the numeral 70,and again includes shoulder supports 72 and neck portion 74 for hangingon a rod. As above, the finger grip portion is molded directly into theplastic hanger and is denoted by the numeral 76. Finger grip portion 76is formed intermediate as an integral portion of neck 78, and is placedappropriately for lifting by the person moving the clothing on theclothes rack.

FIG. 9 shows yet another aspect of the present invention, wherein amolded clothes hanger is generally denoted by the numeral 90 andincludes the requisite shoulder supports 92 and a hook 94 for hangingover a closet rod or the like. The novel portion of this aspect is thefinger grip portion 96, wherein the finger grip is still following thegeneral text of my invention where the finger grip portion is separatefrom the neck and hook portions (91 and 94), such that a person wouldlift the hanger without getting his/her fingers crimped between eitherthe closet rod or other hangers if you are lifting multiple pieces ofhung up clothing. In this aspect, the fingers are removed up onto ashoulder 93 of hook 94. Hook shoulder 93 is located intermediate of neckportion 91 and hook 94. As one can see, the finger grip portion 96 couldbe picked up by someone without any worries about pinching one'sfingers.

FIGS. 10-13 illustrate an additional number of aspects of the fingergrip portion (100, 102, 104, and 106 respectively). Although each one isslightly different, each of these aspects shown in FIGS. 10-13 followsthe basic premise and achieves the overriding advantage of the presentinvention for providing a grip portion on the hanger neck or shoulderthat prevent pinching because it removes one's fingers away from thecloset rod or from each other when multiple hangers are beingtransported.

FIG. 10 shows only the neck and hook portion of a hanger, wherein neck98 is proximal to the operational portion of the hanger, while thefinger grip portion 100 is atop the hook portion 99. In this aspect, aperson could use all fingers to grip the finger grip portion 100. Thiscould be especially useful for short pieces of clothing, where theperson could grip any number of these special hangers, and allow theclothes to hang down while being carried.

FIG. 11 shows a shoulder hip type finger grip portion 102 which isattached to the shoulder of hook 99. Shoulder hip type finger gripportion 102 is shown to be extending outwardly and upwardly from hook99, unlike the aspect shown in FIG. 9 where the finger grip portion 96extends outwardly. FIG. 11 shows the finger grip portion 102 asextending upwardly and outwardly for a more ergonomically feasibleaspect of the present invention when carrying heavier loads.

FIG. 12 is yet another aspect similar to FIG. 10, although the top offinger grip portion 104 is comparatively flatter, and yet more amenableto carrying a large number of hangers loaded with clothing articles.Likewise, FIG. 13 is similar to the hanger top of FIG. 12, but itsfinger grip portion 106 is made of wire, and securement is made throughtwisting together a hanger wire precursor to yield a hanger with anupwardly extending finger grip portion 106.

In principle, disclosed is a clothes hanger apparatus, comprising someform of a formed flexible supporting body member adapted for conformingto the approximate shape of a piece of clothing capable of being worn bya person, including a right and a left shoulder support convening at ayoke, including an upwardly extending closet rod hook depending upwardlyfrom a neck on the yoke such that the hanger can be suspended from ahorizontal closet rod; and a separate finger hook support distal fromthe closet rod hook extending outwardly from the body member, therebycreating a passageway for fingers of an operator to engage the clotheshanger without pinching fingers when picking up the hanger. In addition,like any conventional clothes hanger, a horizontal bar may optionallyextend horizontally between the two shoulder supports. In accordancewith the present invention, a separate finger hook support may belocated distal from the closet rod hook extending outwardly from thebody member, wherein more than one hanger is capable of being liftedwithout pinching the fingers of the person doing the lifting. Anadditional hook for supporting at least one additional separatesupporting hanger from the clothes hanger can be included, either singlyor in combination with the finger hook. In the many aspects shown, aseparate finger hook support may be located on top of the closet rodhook extending outwardly from the body member, or it may extendoutwardly from the top of the yoke all the way up to the top of the rodhook.

The hanger itself may be configured from a metal wire hanger with anelongated portion of the metal wire that wraps back around itself downthe neck of the hanger, such that a finger hook is provided without anysharp edges. Furthermore, the hanger may be a formed plastic clotheshanger with a finger hook portion formed into the plastic, or it may bemade from any suitable material, including metal wire, plastic, wood orany combination thereof.

The inventor envisions that the clothes hanger may include a finger hookor grip portion located on the clothes hanger from the top of the yokeup to the closet rod hook portion, depending on the particularapplication. If the hanger is designed for silk blouses, then a simplefinger hook may be suitable. However, if the hanger is made of woodsuitable for heavy fur coat storage, then the finger hook may need to bemore substantial.

All of the aspects of the present invention include some variation of afinger grip portion that is separate from the hook portion of the hangerin order to alleviate finger pinching when picking up the clotheshanger. Clearly, such hanger additions can be made out of any suitablematerial, especially preferable would be the material that the rest ofthe hanger is made from. Such hanger neck and hook portions can befastened through any suitable means to the rest of the hanger body, aswill be seen in the context of the following FIGS. 14-20. It must benoted that all of the various aspects described hereinabove may beattached (or formed into) all of the hanger bottoms yet to be describedbelow with regards to FIGS. 14-20.

Referring now to FIGS. 14-20, there are shown in all FIG.'s a hangerbottom, generally denoted by various numerals. FIG. 14 shows a wideshoulder hanger 110 having spaced apart shoulder supports 112 extendingdownwardly from an interchangeable neck 114, ready to receive any of theneck and hook portions shown in FIGS. 1-13 hereinabove. This wideshoulder hanger 110 may be made of any suitable material, especiallywood or plastic. Any suitable dimension may be utilized, as long as oneof the neck and hook portions with a separate finger grip portion inaccordance with the present invention is also attached. FIG. 15 shows ahanger substantially the same as FIG. 14′s aspect, but with a bar 116spanning the bottom between the two distal ends of shoulder supports112. Again, the appropriate neck and hook portion should be mated to anyone of these hanger bottoms.

FIG. 16 illustrates a trouser or skirt hanger 110 with shoulder supports112, a neck and hook portion 114 made of wire with a cardboard roll atthe bottom, like most dry cleaner trouser or skirt hangers. Anappropriate neck and hook portion should be mated to this hanger bottom.

FIG. 17 shows a conventional trouser hanger bottom 120, where the hangeris made of wood and metal wire for pants to be looped thereover. Asuitable hanger top described above would be attached to this hangerbottom.

FIG. 18 illustrates a horizontally supported hanger bottom 130 designedfor trousers, skirts, or the like includes horizontal support members132 with a neck 134 extending upwardly midway between the attachment fora wire bail 136 which supports securement clips 138. Clips 138 act tosecure the pant legs or skirt tops (not shown) of a garment to be hungon this hanger.

FIG. 19 shows yet another version of a conventionally available hangerfor use in retail stores for lightweight garments and the like. Hanger130 includes a horizontal support 132 with a neck 134 midway between thedistal ends of the hanger. Clips 138 extend downwardly from horizontalsupport 132.

FIG. 20 shows a classic style of retail sales type of plastic skirt orpants hanger generally denoted by number 130, as above. Neck 134 isusually a rotating wire bail attached to a horizontal support 132,having a wire spreader bar 136 located underneath to support clothesclips 138 for clipping onto the pants or skirts which it is designed tocarry. One of the novel finger grip portion of FIGS. 1-13 would beattached above neck 134.

Any of these aspects of the present invention could be made from anysuitable size, weight, material, configuration or exterior finish to besuitable for the intended job. So long as the finger grip portions arein accordance with this invention, it will be workable and desirable.

The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention hasbeen presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light ofthe above teachings with regards to the specific aspects. The embodimentwas chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles ofthe invention and its practical applications to thereby enable one ofordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in variousaspects and with various modifications as are suited to the particularuse contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A clothes hanger apparatus, comprising: A formedflexible supporting body member adapted for conforming to theapproximate shape of a piece of clothing capable of being worn by aperson, including a right and a left shoulder support convening at ayoke, an upwardly extending closet rod hook depending upwardly from aneck on the yoke such that the hanger can be suspended from a horizontalcloset rod; and a separate finger hook support distal from the closetrod hook extending outwardly from the body member, thereby creating apassageway for fingers of an operator to engage the clothes hangerwithout pinching fingers when picking up the hanger.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising a horizontal bar extending horizontallybetween the two shoulder supports.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising a separate finger hook support distal from the closet rodhook extending outwardly from the body member, wherein more than onehanger is capable of being lifted without pinching the fingers of theperson doing the lifting.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising an additional hook for supporting at least one additionalseparate supporting hanger from the clothes hanger.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising a separate finger hook support located ontop of the closet rod hook extending outwardly from the body member. 6.The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a metal wire hanger with anelongated portion of the metal wire that wraps back around itself downthe neck of the hanger, such that a finger hook is provided without anysharp edges.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a formedplastic clothes hanger with a finger hook portion formed into theplastic.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the clothes hanger made bemade from any suitable material, including metal wire, plastic, wood orany combination thereof.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theclothes hanger may include a finger hook or grip portion located on theclothes hanger from the top of the yoke up to the closet rod hookportion.